The Guest
by Zen Elle
Summary: Robin gets a call in the middle of the night informing him that a very "special" guest will be arriving at Titans Tower next week... Please feel free to review below and follow if you like!
1. The Call

It was a lazy Monday morning when it all began.

Bees were buzzing, birds were singing, and the smell of tofu waffles filled the air.

Starfire was stroking silky on the couch while Raven floated next to the window, her cape occasionally flapping from the open glassdoor.

Beast Boy was, in the meantime, working steadily on making a breakfast nobody would eat except the green shapeshifter himself.

Cyborg was,as he was every morning, in the garage working on the T car.

This was their normal morning routine except for one small detail, none of them had seen Robin yet. He was usually up before any of them were, working out in the gym or ironing one of his numerous and identical his capes. However, today he had not come out of his room yet. No one thought much of it though, they all knew how much of a workaholic he could be at times, sometimes not eating or sleeping for days on end, especially when Slade was involved. He was probably just working overtime on a new case. Or at least that's what they thought.

"Aaaaand breakfast is served" Beast Boy said with an overly dramatic splat of tofu on a plate.

He looked up see a raised eyebrow followed with chatoyant lilac eyes staring at him from across the common room.

"Hey Rae, you want some?" he asked hopefully.

She looked at him disbelievingly for a moment and then rolled her eyes.

"Why would I eat fake meat?" she asked, floating over to the stove. She opened the dark, wooden cabinet above and pulled out her favorite dark green mug.

He sighed but his cheery smile remained. She never liked anything he did but that never stopped him from trying.

"I would like some of the waffles of tofu" Starfire said enthusiastically.

BB smiled. At least he could always rely on Star to like his cooking.

The redhead floated over next to him, smiling like the sun.

He carefully took 3 golden-brown tofu waffles off the pan and placed them onto Starfire's favorite butterfly and ladybug covered plate that Robin had gotten her at the "mall of shopping".

"Hey, anybody seen Robin", an oil covered Cyborg asked, coming into the room holding a rag that looked like it had been used at least 20 times.

"No, I have not seen Robin all day" Starfire said, swallowing a waffle down in one gulp after coating the entire thing in spicy mustard, "Shall we go do the checking on him?"

"Nah, he's probably just know how he gets, he'll be up as soon as he smells coffee" Cyborg said, sitting down at the marble kitchen counter.

The teens fell into a somewhat tense silence, none of them really sure what to do. Most mornings, Robin would already be up here brewing his morning coffee which he seemed to survive on. He would then, after they finished eating breakfast, tell them what they would be doing that day. Usually this included long training sessions, street patrol, or a meeting with Titans East. But sometimes, they got a day off and just hung around the tower.

But this wasn't a normal morning.

"Yes, yes, I know." Robin grumbled, "I just don't understand why he can't stay in Gotham with you, he doesn't even like me and I know he won't like the team or Jump City."

He ran a hand through his already mussed-up hair. It was also slightly oily on account of him not having taken his morning shower yet.

His uniform was the same one from yesterday, not having changed and his mask stuck to his brow, creased with a mixture of frustration and worry.

"Why can't Tim take care of him?" he growled, "Or has he run off again?"

The line was silent for a moment before he got a reply.

"Fine, whatever. Just make sure he doesn't bring any of his weapons or his suit with him, we have enough explosions around here as it is"

He hung up and leaned on the cold steel desk, pulling his mask off.

What do I do, he thought, More importantly, how do I tell Star and the others. They don't know anything about this. Except Raven, she probably already figured it out. She always did.

He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a fresh domino mask.

Slipping it on, he felt his head clear somewhat of the chaotic thoughts that had been clouding his mind for most of the night and into the morning. He looked at the clock in the corner of the room.

It read 9:00 in bright green numbers in the otherwise dark room.

Crap. That late already. He really should go upstairs, his friends were probably worried about him, especially Star, his girlfriend.

He stood up and stretched his sore muscles.

The door swished open as he made his way upstairs. He was greeted by the sight of a meditating Raven, a worried Starfire, and a Beast Boy and Cyborg duking it out over a round of Mega Mounkies 3.

"ROBIN!" Starfire greeted, throwing her arms around him in a bone- crushing hug.

"We were worried you had been eaten by a wild Zlorg" she whimpered.

"Very" Raven said, not even looking up from her book.

"It's ok Star, I'm fine. I just had to take a call and it lasted longer than I expected"

He attempted to smile but it just came out as a frustrated thin lip.

That last line grabbed Beast Boy's attention causing him to put down his controller.

"A call? This early? What kind of insomniac calls a tower-full of teenagers before 3 pm?" he scoffed.

"The Batman" Robin said simply, walking over to the coffee pot. He was waiting to gage their reaction.

The room went silent.


	2. The Talk

The Titans sat in stunned silence at Robin's words.

He had never talked much about his time as the sidekick of Gotham's famed hero, preferring to leave that time of his life behind him. In the earlier days of the Teen Titans, Beast Boy had often tried to get his friend to talk about him but had, over the years, learned not to pry at matters that Robin didn't want to discuss.

None of them bothered asking about his relationship with the Batman anymore, it was common knowledge among the hero community that the two of them had had a not so small conflict, leading Robin to leave Gotham and accidentally form the Teen Titans.

Of course, Wayne Enterprises had funded the construction and furnishing of Titans Tower but that didn't change the fact that their leader and his ex- instructor had bad blood between them.

Robin sipped his coffee, quietly awaiting their response. The silence filling the common room seemed to stretch on, making it more tense every second it hung in the air.

After what seemed like an eternity, Raven said, "Well, how did it go?"

Robin sighed, setting his mug down.

"To be honest, not well at all. He was pretty straight to the point, saying he needed me to take care of something"

"Something?" Raven replied with a raised eyebrow. Robin suspected she already knew very well that what Batman had asked for him to take care of was not a "thing" but humored her, having to tell the rest of them.

"Well, to be specific, someone. He's going to be gone for a while on JL business and he can't exactly just leave him alone in Gotham unsupervised so he wants Damian to come live with us for the next couple weeks." Robin said, the frustration seeping into every word.

There were several moments of silence between the friends after this, each contemplating his words. All that is, except Raven. Said empath was staring out of one of the tall glass windows overlooking the bay, herbal tea in hand with a quiet smile gracing her pale features.

"Please Robin, what is this Damian like?" Starfire asked, curiosity plain in her voice.

"Oh Damian, Damian…. How do I begin to describe Damian?" Robin said, for the first time that day, having actual humor in his voice. "Well, for starters, he's the new Robin"

"I thought that was Jason Todd." Beast Boy said, "How many of you are there?"

"4 so far. Damian is the only one who is actually related to Bruce though and believe me, he's a lot like him. He's just as driven and always goes it alone like Bruce. The only difference is that he was trained from birth to kill by his mother and grandfather while Batman on the other hand, only started training when he was well into adulthood"

"WAIT, WHAT?!" Beast Boy shrieked, "Did you just say KILL, like as in, killing PEOPLE!?"

"Oh yeah, Damian was trained to do Ra's Al Ghul's dirty work since he was a child"

"And you see nothing wrong with babysitting an assassin?!" Beast Boy asked with a look of horror etched onto his face.

"Well, he's not an assassin anymore. The Batman would never allow him to be his partner and live in Gotham if he didn't at least try to abide by the No - Killing - Policy. True, when I first met Damian, his thirst for blood was undeniable but from what I've heard, he's started acting more like a hero and less like a crazy killer."

"I am still unsure if it is a wise idea to let him stay with us, regardless" previously silent Starfire said, "The man of Bats might be able to keep this new Robin in check, however, what if we can not?"

"Believe me Star, I DON'T think it's a good idea at all, but when Bruce says your going to do something, well….you don't really have much choice in the matter."

"Sooooo…. When's he coming here?" Cyborg asked uncomfortably.

"Next Monday. We have a week to get ready." Robin sighed

"Does that mean we get today off?" Beast Boy said hopefully, looking up at his leader with large, kitten eyes the size of dinner plates.

Robins worried scowl was replaced with a friendly smirk.

"Nice try"

"Dang it"

"We have patrol in an hour, do whatever you want until then"

He chugged back the rest of his coffee, quickly filling the cup again before scurrying out of the room. He didn't want to talk on the subject of their "special guest" anymore than was absolutely necessary, it was too close to talking about his past, an especially stressful topic for him. And at this point, with a visit from Batman himself looming ever closer, stress was the last thing he needed.


	3. The Week

The Titans spent the next several days cleaning, re-organizing, fixing, and re-cleaning the tower from top to bottom under Robin's orders.

True, their leader might not have the healthiest relationship when it came to his former mentor but that didn't necessarily mean that time had withered away his need to impress him in the slightest. Halfway through the week, most of them had gotten used to waking early. That is, except Beast Boy. The green changeling still had to be dragged out of his bunk by Cyborg to spend another day vacuuming unknown substances from the shag carpet. He hated this job. Partially because you never really knew what you would find in there and also because when you did, it was never a pleasant experience. Needless to say, he drew the short straw.

Starfire on the other hand, was just as much (if not more so) enthusiastic about cleaning their home as Robin was. Mind you, she did have the most fun job.

Since Star was the only one other than Raven (who preferred to organize the book shelves) who could fly in human form, the job of cleaning the huge, french - style doors overlooking the harbor fell on her. For anyone else, this would mean long, miserable hours of scrubbing stains off glass in the hot sun. Of course, that sounded like a grand time to Starfire. All day she could be seen swooping and diving as she worked persistent stains from the windows, accumulated over years of wear and little maintenance.

Raven on the other hand, had hardly been seen during the day time that week. She chose to re -organize the shelves in the basement, a clutter of books and scrolls the Titans called their " community library". Of course, this title didn't suit it in the slightest, seeing as Raven was the only one who ever used it. Over the years, the books in there had migrated into Raven's room so it was less a library and more storage.

Cyborg meanwhile was working on updating the computer system for the tower. He often bragged that it was the "most important job" and that he had the "special skills required for it" at dinner. Everyone wished they could say it wasn't but they weren't idiots, they knew it was. Without Cyborg's computer abilities, the tower (and the team) wouldn't last a single day.

It was finally the end of what the whole team (excluding Starfire) hoped to be last "cleaning week" they ever had to endure. It's almost poetic in a way, they could stand, mabey even enjoy hours upon hours of fighting villains trying to take over Jump City and yet, like any other stereotypical teenagers, when faced with cleaning up, a feeling of impending doom enveloped them.

"Dude, I never thought I would say this, but I'm actually sick of tofu." Beast Boy said with disgust as he picked a slimy, mold covered, white blob out of the vacuum cleaner. He tossed it into the garbage bin which was already over filled to the point of collapsing. "I don't even know how it got under the fridge."

"Well now you know how the rest of us feel every single day." Raven replied blandly.

Robin walked to the front of the room and turned around to face it, as if inspecting the cleanliness of it. The couch was spotless for the first time anyone could remember. They had spent hours of spraying it with various spot removers before they finally gave up and asked Raven to magic it off.

The fridge was equally as neat, this time devoid of blue goo on it's way to becoming a sentient species. They had ended up throwing away a lot of their food in the process of cleaning it, well, thrown away or eaten. Halfway through the task BB had decided to "clear some space" as he put it by eating a pizza that none of them remembered. They probably should have stopped him, and Starfire would have if she had been there. But she wasn't, she was at the mall with Robin. They had gone off to get lunch. Yeah sure.

Anyway, BB had eaten the pizza and you can kind of imagine what happened next. It rhymes with "botal shmailure" on his part.

The Titans looked over their common room with pride. It actually resembled a superhero base instead of a teen hang out for once. And just in time too. It was Monday. And Batman would be here any minute now.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, no one wanting to be the first to talk. That's when the heard the thrum of a jets' engine above their heads.

Robin stood up. "He's here"


	4. The Arrival

Bruce sighed.

It had been a long trip.

Damian had been dropping sarcastic comments the whole way from Gotham. Not that that was anything new. Damian was a naturally sarcastic person as well as a blood thirsty maniac at times. He had strong opinions on the no - killing policy and made them known on an almost daily basis.

At this point, he just wanted to drop him off and head back to Gotham so he could finish his work. He had about an hour or so more paperwork to finish before he met with the JL.

"Father, I fail to see why you insist upon leaving me with these… freaks, when my going with you with benefit everyone" Damian said with a sneer on his lips as the word "freaks" slipped out.

"I've told you, this is a matter only to be dealt with by members of the Justice League. We don't need anyone else. And besides, this mission is a delicate matter. We don't need your impulsiveness disrupting the balance we have worked so hard to build. Also,this was not all my decision as you seem to think. Alfred thinks that mabey if you spend some time with people your age, mabey you'll learn a thing or two from them. And I can't say I disagree"

He looked over. Usually Damian would have interrupted him by now. However, he had not said a word, instead choosing to stare out the window of the jet. He was pretending that he wasn't listening but it was obvious from the crease in his brow that he was hanging on every word.

"Fine." He said, "But this is still a waste of my skills."

The rest of the ride there was spent in patched - up silence.

Robin opened the door to the roof. The formally rusty handle was now a sleek platinum.

As he opened the door, great gusts of air emitted from a glossy, dark grey jet, hit his face in waves, nearly ripping his domino mask clean off. His black and yellow cape flapped at his side as the jet he had ridden in (and piloted a few times) slowly lowered onto the cement paving of the roof.

The rest of his team stayed slightly behind him, none of them wanting to be noticed by his mentor.

The sleek grey doors opened to reveal a moody, smaller boy. He looked to be around 9 and was about a head shorter than Robin himself. His suit looked similar to the one Robin wore except his mask and under cape included a green tinge to the fabric. His shoes were unlike the ones he wore, coming up to the mid - calf instead of low ankles.

He scowled at the taller boy, like he was the source of all his problems

He had the same pale coloration and black hair as Bruce, making him seem even more threatening.

A tall man stepped up behind him and took his shoulder. He immediately shrugged it off, as if it was reflex.

"Thank you for taking care of Damian" Bruce said in a monotone voice that made it clear, this interaction would purely be one of business. "It was rude to give you such short notice"

"Don't mention it" Robin said between gritted teeth. He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from saying something he would regret later.

"Well, I'll be off then. I have some work to finish before I leave".

Robin nodded. His face was devoid of any affection or caring he might have ever felt toward his "father". But anyone who knew him knew that, despite his resentment, he was struggling to keep his emotionless mask in place.

Bruce turned away without a word and walked toward the door of the plane. He glanced over his shoulder one last time before entering the dark jet.

The plane hovered a few yards off the ground for a second before taking off at a breakneck speed for Gotham. As it flew, it's shadow like form faded, becoming smaller and smaller until it was no more than a black dot clawing it's way across the sky.

Robin stared at it for several minutes, lost in thought before Starfire gently touched his shoulder with her tanned, sun - worn hands. He ripped his sight from the speck to blink at his girlfriend.

She smiled encouragingly before turning her attention to the previously silent Damian, who tried to give her his usual scowl. It was obvious he was straining. Nobody could look at Star and not smile for long.

When he realized he wasn't winning this battle of expressions, he turned away, looking disgruntled and uncomfortable.

"Hello Damian! I am Starfire! Welcome to Titans Tower!" She said, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, whatever. Just show me where the showers are." He replied,staring at his shoes, clearly avoiding eye contact.

"Oh! Of course.." She said with a hint of sadness at his rejection of her welcome.

The team filed down the stairs leading to the rooftop, Robin in the back.

He closed the newly painted door behind himself, frowning.

From what he had heard so far, Damian hadn't changed at all. He was still an absolute jerk.

Whether Batman intended or not, it was going to be a testing few weeks.

For Damian, to see if he can work safely with other people other than the Batman.

And for him, to see if he could learn to work with Damian.


	5. The Shower

Hey guys. I know I haven't updated in like forever and I'm really sorry about that. I'm just gonna leave it at that and not give any sort of half-hearted excuse because there really is none… I just lazy. So yeah, ummmmm...sorry about this.

P.S) Warning! This next part is where the T rating comes in because of relatively mild cursing. Nothing too bad.

As soon as Damian had left for the showers, Robin pulled Starfire aside into one of the dark alcoves of the hallway.

"What is the wrong?" she said, bewildered, "Is your freak attempting to get the out?"

"No, it's just…. He's already being a jerk. I didn't think that it was a good idea in the first place for him to come here but I thought I could handle it. I don't think I can anymore."

He sighed and pulled off his mask. He never would have done this in front of anyone except Star. She was the only one out of the five to have seen him without it.

He looked up into the her green eyes with a mixture of helplessness and frustration. This was another thing that no one else but the two of them would ever see. He despised looking weak in front of other people, especially his team. They saw him as their friend sure, but first and foremost, they saw him as their leader.

Someone who kept a cool head under pressure.

Someone who could handle anything life threw at them.

Someone who knew what he was doing.

And at the moment, he wasn't that person at all.

"Well…" Star breathed, breaking his train of thought, "Mabey you are right, mabey you can not handle this"

He stared at her, shocked. Usually, he turned to his girlfriend for unrelenting support and love.

He wasn't expecting this.

"But WE can"

She smiled at him, evidently trying to tug some hope into him. And he couldn't say it didn't work.

(POV change to Damian)

"Fuck"

Steam rose around me in great gusts as the near boiling water hit the cool floor.

The marble pattern was an unpleasant shade of electric blue laced with streaks of white, giving it an annoyingly clean look. It was a stark contrast to the Batcave's showers. Dark grey walls laced with shiny white ceramic, used for 5 minute showers on the nights I had patrol into the early hours of the morning.

I stared down, my forehead resting against the smooth, tiled wall. It felt cool against the bare skin of my arms, making the warmth enveloping me all the more soothing.

"Shit fuck"

I had told Father over and over that this trip was a bad idea. That it would be more useful if I went with him. That my talents would prove useful. That I didn't need to be watched like a child by these people. I had never even met them before today. Father had always avoided talking about the first Robin, Dick Greyson. It was one of the only topics that seemed to make him truly uncomfortable so he did handled it like any normal person would. He just didn't talk about it.

And besides, I couldn't blame him. I wouldn't want to talk about it either if I had screwed up as badly as he did. They were a house of freaks that couldn't teach me a thing if they wanted to.

Especially that absurdly-tan alien.

Don't see why the dick-wadd was dating her. Probably just as a piece of eye candy to hang on his shoulder.

Who does she think she is anyway, talking to me like she was actually happy to see me? At least the other members of this ridiculous team had the decency to not pretend. And besides, she's not even that good looking. Not even that pretty.

No, not pretty.

Definitely not pretty.

Not even a little bit.

Not pretty… at….. all.

"Shit"

I haven't even been here for an hour and I hate this place already.


End file.
